Rock Paper Scissors

Oct. 26, 2008

aStra productions / zefa / Corbis

People playing the game rock, paper, scissors.

Oct. 25 marked the 7th annual Rock Paper Scissors World Championship in Toronto. Hundreds of “RPS” enthusiasts signed up to participate in the tournament, which featured round after round of repetitive hand gestures and a $10,000 grand prize for the person who could cover the most rocks with paper, smash the most scissors with rock, and cut the most paper with scissors. The game has some strategy  knowing when to open your hand, avoiding a predictable pattern of gestures  but for the most part, it is based on luck. Kind of like the lottery, but with less money and better odds. In honor of such a quixotic tournament, TIME takes a look at some of the strangest world championship games out there.